Chris has a background in Product Management and as the first employee to join the founders at Hearsay Social he has led a number of key teams across Product, Customer Success & Sales. Prior to Hearsay Social Chris worked in Product Management at Intuit. Chris now leads our International activities, supporting global customers as they establish and scale social business.
General Manager, Marketing Innovation & Business Support APAC, Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific
A respected business leader and marketing strategist, Hélène
Blanchette is an authority in the 1to1 cross-media marketing
space. In her current role she oversees the transformation,
structure and implementation of the new regional digital marketing
strategy in 14 countries and heads the business support of APAC for
the direct operations of Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific Organisation
(APO). She is known for the implementation of 1to1 cross-media
marketing programs and campaigns, and is credited for having
introduced the first 1to1 cross-media marketing programs in Asia
Pacific under the FX Brand The 1:1 Experience. With multiple
global awards and recognitions, Hélène's innovative marketing
strategies have led Fuji Xerox to be honoured with the title of
Best Brand in Asia in 2013.
She is a frequent contributor to online and off-line
publications as a subject matter expert, and is often invited to
deliver conferences throughout Asia, Europe and North America.
Ernest has over 30 years of industry experience and has held a variety of accounting, risk management, and business operations leadership roles. He has been a passionate contributor to the Taiwanese insurance industry, undertaking innovative programs that integrate technology into essential operations. He was awarded the “2014 National Brand Yushan Award—Business Leader with Outstanding Performance " for his outstanding leadership and achievements. Ernest started his career as a Department Supervisor with the American Insurance Group (AIG) Internal Audit department. From there was transferred to the AIA Home Office Accounts department where he served as Chief Accountant, Senior Vice President, and Comptroller, and then was transferred to the AIA Shanghai branch as a General Manager. In 2003 he transferred to Nan Shan, a member company of AIG in Taiwan at the time, as Executive Vice President of Operations, and was promoted to his current position as President of Nan Shan in 2011
Mr. Eric Chang is currently the President of ICBC-AXA Life Assurance Co., Ltd. He has a PhD in Economics (Insurance) and is also a fellow with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of U.K. Mr. Chang has 36 years working experience in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and has been with the life insurance industry for 22 years. After serving senior financial management roles in reputed companies in Hong Kong and Taiwan, he joined Winterthur Life Taiwan as CFO in 1992 and became CEO of Zurich Life Taiwan in 1999. He was subsequently recruited by Aviva Group U.K. in 2001 to set up their life joint venture in China.
In 2003, Mr. Chang was appointed the President of Aviva-Cofco Life which has developed into one of the leading foreign insurers under his leadership. He had also been acting as the Managing Director, North Asia of Aviva Group to look after their operations in Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam. In Aug. 2013, he joined ICBC-AXA Life Assurance. Mr. Chang has won "The Best Foreign Manager" title (honor began in 2006) in 2006, 2008 and 2012 as awarded by the China Insurance Marketing magazine. He should be by far the longest serving CEO among all foreign insurers in China.
Manish leads the PwC Information Technology Risk/Cyber Security
Practice in Singapore, where he advises financial services clients
on strategic and tactical solutions for information security,
governance, and compliance. This includes cyber security, online
fraud prevention, and data loss prevention. Manish has over 21
years of experience in multinational companies, and an in-depth
knowledge of risk management involving complex technologies. He led
PwC UK to achieving Payment Card Industry Qualified Security
Assessor (PCI QSA) status. He has also advised the UK Government at
the Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI).
Director & Head of Alternative Distributions, L&H Asia, Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd
In this role David is responsible for the delivery and execution
of Swiss Re's alternative distribution strategy across Asia. This
role seeks to deliver thought leadership, to expand and manage
markets and products as well as increasing Swiss Re's profile in
the area of retail, bancassurance and alternative distribution.
David previously held the position of Vice President, Client
Markets for Swiss Re's Life & Health business in Australia
& New Zealand where he was responsible for the profitability
and growth of Swiss Re's client portfolio, as well as the
maintenance and development of long-term business relationships
with clients. David's experience in the life insurance industry
expands across the key areas of product, operations, marketing and
distribution in both the U.K. and Australia in the primary
insurance market.
Chairman and CEO of Bernard Delas Conseil Sarl Former CEO of several leading French insurance and bancassurance groups including Groupama Assurances, CNP Assurances International, and Credit Agricole Assurances International
Bernard Delas, an economist by training, has spent his career leading several French insurance and bancassurance groups. Between 1971 and 1989, he held various positions with Samda, a subsidiary of Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles, before joining Groupama Central in 1989 as Business Development Director. In 1990, he was appointed Managing Director of Groupama North East, based in Reims. In 1993, he returned to Groupama Central to take up the position of Managing Director, Insurance, France. In July 1995, he was appointed Managing Director of Caisse Centrale Groupama and Groupama SA, and three years later he became Managing Director of Groupama-GAN. At this time he also served as Chairman of the French Federation of Mutual Insurance Companies (FFSAM) and Vice Chairman of the French Federation of Insurance Companies (FFSA). In July 2000, after 11 years with Groupama, he left to join to CNP Assurances Group as the CEO of CNP International (Paris), and then in 2004 moved on to the position of CEO at Credit Agricole Assurances International (Paris) where he led the initiatives for international development. In 2010 he left Credit Agricole Assurances International to start Bernard Delas Conseil Sarl, where he currently serves as Chairman and CEO.
During his 15+ year career within the CTRM Industry, Doug Gyani has transformed the software and services space through innovation and a steadfast dedication to understanding the needs of his clients and prospects within the Commodity and Financial Service sector. He is both a Managing Partner as well as Executive Principle Consultant within MDB. Applying business acumen to cutting-edge software design, Doug brings pragmatic world-class digital solutions to his clients.
Jeffrey is passionate about sharing his experiences in strategic
marketing, customer experience management, and leadership
development to help companies achieve market, people, and financial
leadership in this fast-evolving digital world. He previously
served as CEO (Southeast Asia) with Teleperformance, where he grew
a 20-person operation to over 2,000 people across Southeast Asia.
Teleperformance is the largest global contact center outsourcing
firm with 140,000 employees in 62 countries, and has been ranked
No. 1 worldwide for several years by Gartner, IDC, Frost &
Sullivan.
John leads one of the fastest growing life insurance companies in India — and the only company to operate an exclusively bancassurance model. It reported its maiden profit in FY 2012-13, less than five years after commencing operations, making it one of the fastest private life insurers to achieve this feat. The company’s bancassurance business model, product mix, customer-centric practices, excellent persistency, and customer growth has won them numerous prestigious awards including "Innovation Leader for establishing Bancassurance Business Model" in 2011, "Technology Leader" in 2012, and “Life Insurance Company of the Year”, and "Excellence in Training and Development (Asia)" in 2014, just to name a few. Prior to his current role, John was Chief Operating Officer of Hana HSBC Life Insurance in South Korea, the founding Chief Executive of HSBC Life Insurance in Taiwan, and a board member of HSBC Insurance Holdings (Asia). With his career roots in retail banking he is a bancassurance specialist in emerging markets, with a passion for professional financial planning and a 30 year career spanning both banking and insurance with the HSBC Group.
Mark has built digital businesses globally since the late
1990s. As director of international operations at Yahoo!, he
led the rollout of their full suite of communication, media, and
e-commerce properties around the world and built product teams in
Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Mark moved to Asia in 2003 as
the vice president of Yahoo!'s search business unit for
Asia-Pacific. He then joined eBay as the chief product officer of
eBay China, where he led the customization of eBay's technology for
China, which was one of the largest development projects in eBay's
history. He founded Shanghai-based travel startup
Yiqilai.com.cn in 2006, and was also a founding member of
AngelVest, the leading angel investment network in China. In
2009, Mark joined Microsoft's online services business as managing
director of Southeast Asia, where he led MSN, Hotmail, and Bing in
the region and initiated partnerships including xinMSN, which
quickly became Singapore's leading portal. He led Vistaprint's
business in Asia and global emerging markets from 2012-2013 as
President of the Most of World business unit, and joined Aegon in
August 2014.
Managing Director Telos Capital & Risk Management Ltd. & Principal Consultant LB Asia Consulting Ltd
Barkis has over 25 years financial industry experience in senior
management roles with his earlier career as the Financial
Controller of a life insurance company (now Ageas Insurance in Hong
Kong). He moved into sales management when he joined AIA in
Australia as an Agency Manager responsible for providing financial
planning services.
During the last 15 years, he led local and regional compliance
and operational risk teams with supporting direct and indirect
staff of over 200 associates in 15 Asian countries. He was the Vice
President of Regional Compliance with AIA & Affiliates and the
Regional Director & Head of Operational Risk Management for AIG
companies in Asia. He was also the Senior Director in Risk
Management with HSBC Private Bank. Prior to joining LB Asia
Consulting Ltd, he was the Regional Chief Compliance Officer with
Sun Life Financial Asia and MetLife for the Asia Pacific
Region.
Barkis holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Administrative
Management, a Graduate Diploma in Financial Management and a Master
of Science in e-Commerce (with distinction) from universities in
Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. He is a Fellow of CPA
Australia and of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public
Accountants. He is also a Chartered Company Secretary, a Registered
Financial Planner and a Certified Management Consultant by
profession.
Managing Director, LIMRA Talent Solutions International
Andy Khoo is an international life insurance professional with extensive experience leading corporate growth strategies, improving agency productivity, and growing company profitability. At LIMRA, he leads one of the world’s largest training and development resources for life insurance and financial services companies. Andy helps members assess their situation, develop a strategic response, and execute at all levels of their organization and across national boundaries. He is also the driving force behind LIMRA’s new Gen Y Seminar Series, which helps managers attract, engage, and retain a new generation of producers. Previously, Andy was Vice President of Field Management Development at AIG’s worldwide life agency head office in New York. He led initiatives that improved agent and agency manager performance in more than 50 countries. Andy’s career with AIG and its AIA subsidiaries in Asia and U.S. included living and working in four different countries, and developing and leading multicultural teams.
Regional Head of Sales and Distribution, Allianz Insurance Management Asia Pacific
Handojo is responsible for the life and general insurance
proprietary channel in 8 countries: China, India, Korea, Taiwan,
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. He has more than 25
years of experience in the industry under various disciplinary
functions: sales, marketing, training, customer service, and
operations. Before assuming his current assignment, Handojo was the
Deputy CEO and Chief Distribution Officer for Allianz Life
Indonesia, where he played an important role transforming the
insurer into one of the top 3 companies in Indonesia. He is also a
former Board Member / Officer of the Life Insurance Association of
Indonesia, Asosiasi Asuransi Jiwa Indonesia (AAJI), in the
distribution division who served as Head of the Bancassurance
Department. Handojo has earned FLMI, ACS, and AIAA
designations.
Head of Agency – Technical Advisor, FWD Life Indonesia
Ragunath Joe Murthy has more than 30 years of experience in
Agency Sales Management, Training and Recruitment. He joined
the Life Insurance Business during the early 1980's where he
started his career as an agent and he is now the Head of Agency for
FWD Life Indonesia, a start-up company in Indonesia. FWD Life
Indonesia started its operations in 2014 in Jakarta, and is
currently the first company in to have 100% of their Sales Force
using Tablets in all areas of their business, including the selling
process, the submission to payment gateway, and the digital same
day policy issuances (Straight Through Process).
Amit is a founding team member of C2L BIZ, a company that focuses on providing innovative IT solutions exclusively for the insurance industry. He is responsible for helping life and health insurers throughout Asia improve business processes and technology — and transform their product distribution for digital selling. Amit has a deep insurance domain knowledge and technology expertise that comes from more than a dozen years of service to the industry.
As the founder and Creative Director of MDB, Justine brings her
talents to market in an intimate boutique agency setting that
allows her to serve her clients with meticulous care,
thoughtfulness, and creativity. Employing her own unique brand and
style, she has delivered exceptional and transforming work to
clients including Coke, Dove, Nike, American Express, PwC, and
Principia Consulting. Justine is a graduate of Enmore Design
Centre, one of Australia's best and most renowned graphic design
institutions.
Financial Services Strategy Lead, South East Asia, PwC
Andreas focuses on customer and channel optimization, and has led more than 30 engagements to identify and deliver significant customer acquisition, retention, and cross-sell revenue growth for wealth management firms, insurers, and retail banks in Australia and the UK. He has significant experience in the business consulting and financial services industries, including 3 years in group strategy for one of the big 4 Australian banks. Andreas also has experience in customer insights and analytics, customer and channel partner segmentation, sales process, sales metrics/KPI design, lead referral, and campaign optimization. Andreas utilizes an agile approach with clients to rapidly design, prototype, test, and refine improvements in product, process and proposition design.
Managing Director, Hollard Affinities and Direct (HAD) & Hollard Insurance, South Africa
Mandla joined Hollard in February 2007 and has spent most of his time driving sales, managing commercial relationships with 26 key corporate clients, distribution channel development, managing the reduction of transactional costs and driving the innovation (product, channel, systems and corporate commercial structures) processes within HAD.He has launched a number of new commercial relationships over the years. including a novel low cost agency force that has given the business sustained double digit growth over the last 7 years.His most notable achievement is the growth of the above the line direct response business in South Africa and a recent successful launch of a similar business model in Indonesia in partnership with Tokio Marine Life Insurance.Before joining Hollard, Mandla was in strategic and management consulting with Bain and Company, a process engineering with Royal Dutch Shell, and in general management and manufacturing with SABMiller.He is the founding member of the National Society of Black Engineers – SA and has been a member of the engineering advisory board at Stellenbosch University.
George Tan became Board Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sino-US United MetLife Insurance Company Limited (MetLife China) in November 2013, and is part of the Asia Leadership Group at MetLife Inc. He has over 23 years of progressively responsible experience in the financial services and insurance industry with extensive Greater China, U.S., and Europe exposure. Prior to his current roles, he was Regional Director for Prudential Corporation Asia as well as a Board Director and Chief Executive Office of CITIC-Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited (Prudential China). Before joining Prudential, he worked with Allianz, Aetna, and Ping An in various senior leadership positions. George graduated from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Business Administration degree.
Hugh is an experienced insurance professional with more than 20 years’ experience in the Asia Pacific region covering insurance companies and providing business consulting. Hugh is an actuary by profession. The Digital Insurer, www.the-digital-insurer.com, is an online forum for professionals interested in the application and impact of technology on insurance business models. The forum contains strategic articles and case studies to help people in the insurance industry plan how to use digital technology and digital thinking in their own businesses. Hugh’s personal business objective is to help insurance companies create and execute innovative business development strategies. Central to this is anticipating and leveraging digital technologies that will have a profound impact on existing business models and open up new opportunities.
Senior Vice President and Managing Director, International Operations
Ian Watts leads the LIMRA and LOMA operations that help member companies in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East achieve their business objectives. Prior to joining LIMRA and LOMA in 2013, he was Global COO at ACE Life International, where he was responsible for their day-to-day operations and new business development. He has held CEO positions in India and China for AIG and AIA, and has extensive global experience in the UK, EMEA and Latin America.